Connecticut School Joins Growing List Of Deadly Shootings

The Sandy Hook Elementary School joins a sad and lengthening list of names in recent U.S. history. Since 12 students and a teacher were killed at Colorado's Columbine High School in 1999, there have been scores of other school shootings - so many it may be hard to recall all the names: Red Lake, Nickel Mines, Virginia Tech and Chardon High School are just a few of the names that have become branded by tragedy. Ben Markus of Colorado Public Radio spoke with Frank DeAngelis, the principal of Columbine High School.

FRANK DEANGELIS: Unfortunately, the elementary school in Connecticut now becomes a part of this club, a club that we know is tragedy, of heartbreak, and no one wants to be a part of that club. But what we have to do, no one asked us to be a part of it, but now how do we help each other.

SIMON: The Columbine principal says people often ask him if a community ever feels normal again. He says...

DEANGELIS: You have to redefine what normal is, and I think people really feel that all of a sudden you're going to wake up some morning and everything's going to be back to the way it was. Their lives have changed forever.

SIMON: Frank DeAngelis of Columbine High School. We will have more coverage of events in Newtown on NPR News and on npr.org. This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.